The Quiver Tree Forest

The quiver tree is not really a tree but a giant aloe, with a thick fibrous trunk that splits into candelabra branches tipped with rosettes of fleshy leaves, and San hunters used the hollowed branches to make quivers, which is where the name comes from. They usually grow scattered, so the stand of several hundred on a dolerite hillside near Keetmanshoop is unusual enough to have been declared a national monument. The rocks are as strange as the trees, great rounded dolerite boulders stacked into what is signposted nearby as the Giant's Playground, a maze of balanced blocks. The forest is at its best at either end of the day, when the low sun catches the yellow bark, and at night, because southern Namibia has some of the least light-polluted skies anywhere, making this one of the most photographed astrophotography locations in Africa.

What's there

• The quiver trees - several hundred candelabra aloes on the dolerite slope.
• Sunset silhouettes - the trees against the low sun, the classic shot.
• The night sky - the Milky Way above the forest in exceptionally dark skies.
• The Giant's Playground - the maze of stacked dolerite boulders nearby.

When to go

April to September is the cool dry season and best for camping and clear nights; the quiver trees flower in the winter months, roughly June and July. For night photography, pick a moonless night and check the lunar calendar before committing.

Good to know

It is a small site and a visit is an hour or two unless you stay for sunset and the stars, which is the real reason to come; day visitors passing through often wonder what the fuss is about. It is on private farmland with an entry fee and a basic campsite. Keetmanshoop is a long way south, so this suits people driving between Namibia and South Africa rather than a special trip.

Nearby

Fish River Canyon is a few hours southwest; the Kalahari and Mariental lie north.